ECLAC and the Summit of the Americas

The First Summit of the Americas took place in Miami, Florida December 9 to 11, 1994. The meeting produced a Declaration of Principles and a Plan of Action signed by all 34 Heads of State and Government in attendance.

The Heads of State and Government of the Americas, the architects of this new system, decided to meet on a regular basis in order to define the fundamental precepts of the new Hemispheric agenda. This decision to institutionalize the meetings led to the notion of a "Summit process", where experiences are accumulated, a common language is forged and mandates for collective action are programmed, systematizing the new theoretical and practical references in hemispheric relations.